From the heart of Asbury Park, NJ

Asbury Park’s Covenant House Receives $123,000 Grant

A Monmouth County-based women’s philanthropy group has awarded Covenant House in Asbury a $123,000 grant from Impact 100 Jersey Coast, a women’s philanthropy group.

Covenant House will use the grant for its Rites of Passage program, which provides a safe place for homeless young people, 18 or older who have “aged” out of the system.

The program helps them transition into a positive living environment.

Jim White, Executive Director of Covenant House New Jersey (CHNJ), said “The Impact 100 grant is a significant gift for Covenant House, in fact, a game changer. We can now move forward with our plans to complete the important work we are doing in Asbury Park.”

Impact 100 Jersey Coast is essentially a women’s giving circle based on a national model created in the early 2000s.

“To become a member, a woman must donate $1,000. Very easily a large amount of money is assembled. Non-profits are then invited to submit grant proposals on a yearly basis. Every Impact member has a vote in determining which non-profit will receive the award,” a release from the organization said.

The group is 246 members strong and growing and is actively recruiting for the class of 2018.

The group focuses on the women acting collectively and notes that with the current political atmosphere, women are determined to make a difference in their own back yards.

Founded by Deirdre O’Brien Spiropoulos and Heather Burke, along with nine others, the group surpassed all expectations in 2017 with membership of 246 women who each donated $1,000 all of which goes towards the grants.

In 2016, the group’s inaugural year, 180 Turning Lives was awarded a grant of $145,000 for the Family Justice Center in Freehold to support victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault, child abuse and human trafficking. Anna

“The generosity of the community has been overwhelming,” said Spiropoulos. “Together we are truly making an impact to meet the needs of local nonprofits right in our own neighborhoods.”

A total of 52 local nonprofits applied for the 2017 Impact 100 grant.

“Our collective goal for 2018 is a membership base of 300 women or more so we can award three grants of $100,000 each,” added Spiropoulos.

Membership, which is renewed annually, is open from now until March 15.